A blast from the past

Published: Thursday, Jan. 24 2013 10:35 p.m. MST

An F-1 Engine gas generator is tested at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Thursday, Jan. 24, 2012 in Huntsville, Ala. The test, with parts taken from an engine intended to fly in the Apollo program, is being studied my Marshall engineers in developing the next generation of rocket engines for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). This was the last of 11 tests. (AP Photo/Eric Schultz. AL.com) (Associated Press)

A 40-year-old F-1 Engine gas generator is tested at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Thursday in Huntsville, Ala. The test, with parts taken from an engine intended to fly in the Apollo program, is being studied by Marshall engineers in developing the next generation of rocket engines for NASA's Space Launch System. The device produced a plume that resembled a blow torch the size of two buses and set fire to a grassy area, which was extinguished.